French do not want Hollande-Sarkozy re-match in 2017 - poll

2 Min Read

French President Francois Hollande (R) escorts Nicolas Sarkozy, former president and current head of the Les Republicains political party, following a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, November 15, 2015. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

PARIS (Reuters) - Almost three quarters of French people want neither French President Francois Hollande nor his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy to run for the presidency in 2017 and are eager to see new faces, according to a poll published on Saturday.

Some 74 percent of those surveyed do not want a re-match of the last presidential election in 2012 when the Socialist leader beat the former conservative president, the Odoxa poll for Le Parisien newspaper showed.

The duel is still one of the most likely scenarios, however, with none of the potential rivals in their respective parties mustering enough support so far to lead their camp in next year’s general elections.

Some 88 percent of respondents said the French political scene needed rejuvenation, the poll showed.

Among the politicians who best embodied “renewal”, Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron garnered the most positive opinions (55 percent), followed by far-right politician Marion Marechal-Le Pen at 43 percent and former conservative minister Bruno Le Maire with 36 percent.